Tales of Bandle City: Resonant Designs
by Candlestic
Summary: Now in high school Tristana, Teemo, Rumble and Ziggs can finally compete in the school science fair. They're determined to create the best project ever and meet the city's most famous League champion. However, with a limited time frame, social obligations and an old rivalry, they might be more hard pressed than they thought. After all, no one said high school was easy. 3rd in ToBC.
1. This means War

**Author's note: Hello again :) back with a brand new story - or at least a brand new story in the Tales of Bandle City series. To all my old readers, sorry for the long wait. And anyone new, welcome :); though it'll probably make more sense to start from my first story in the series: In the Beginning.**

 **This arc is a bit more of a lighter filler one and I don't think its going to be quite as long as the others, but I hope still enjoy it :).**

 **Characters belong to Riot games and will almost certainly continue to do so for the entirety of this story. Plot and background characters belong to me.**

* * *

The late afternoon sun shone through the windows of the Spring Hill School, bathing the classrooms in a warm golden glow. The last period of the day had just started and the students were chatting excitedly about their weekend plans, already restless and ready for the school day to be over.

Sitting two rows from the front in the upstairs science room, Rumble, Teemo, Tristana and Ziggs were animatedly discussing the intricacies of the latest League match. It had been a very close match between Demacia and Piltover, with Demacia pulling a controversial win in the last minutes. Currently, Ziggs and Rumble were at an impasse about who they thought really should have been the winner, but before things got too heated Miss Halison entered the room, ceasing all conversations.

"Alright class," she spoke, pushing her glasses more firmly up her long nose. "Before we get started today I have an announcement to make. As you may know, the annual science fair is coming up shortly."

The four friends grinned. Finally in high school, they could now participate in one of the biggest school events of the year: the high school science fair. To them, it was the best part of reaching grade 8, as the four of them had been itching to get involved since they'd first heard about it in grade 1. Now, after seven long years they were finally, finally allowed to show off and contest their skills against the numerous teen yordlings participating not only from their school but all the others as well. To top the entire thing off, the winners of the fair would not only gain great bragging rights but also some pretty impressive prizes too. And this year's prize was by far the best in a long time. This year, not only would the number one entry gain 200g but they would also get to meet the current Bandle City representative in the Institute of War: war hero Whiskerbeard. Needless to say they were very excited. They couldn't wait to put together a gloriously impressive project to blow all the others – in the entire history of the science fair – away.

Their attention was pulled back as the teacher continued, "Groups can be up to four yordles and you have two weeks to prepare a project. A list of suggested projects and the full rules list comes with the sign up form, be sure you read them. In case you become too enthusiastic and forget to however, remember, there are to be no weapons, no combustion and no explosive projects." At this she gave the quartet a pointed look. In return they gave her their biggest, most innocent grins. Surprisingly, this didn't seem to reassure her. "You may sign up after class. Now, open your books to page 394."

* * *

"Alright troops!" Tristana did a sharp turn, baseball bat tucked tightly under one arm and a bowl jiggling precariously on her head as she faced her comrades. Her friends, on their part, tried (and failed) to keep their faces straight, the project ideas spread out before them. "We have 15 days, 19 hours and 48 minutes to come up with and build the best science project this school has ever seen! It needs to be bold, intelligent and engaging. It'll be tough to pull off but I believe in you. With our combined effort I know we can achieve victory!"

As she raised her bat, Ziggs snapped a sharp salute. "Sir, yes sir!" he sounded.

His outburst was too much for his friends and Teemo and Rumble could no longer hold back their laughter, causing Tristana to send them a playful glare.

Settling down, the four of them began going over the lists, hoping it would help spark an awesome idea.

"Argh, this is pointless," Tristana flopped backwards after 20 fruitless minutes. "All these ideas are so boring."

"Not to mention super easy," Rumble agreed. He picked out a couple from the list, "Soda volcano, potato battery; please, I was making those in grade 1."

"Oh here's one!" Ziggs exclaimed. "Creating coloured flames."

"No good," Teemo sighed. "No flammable projects remember."

Tristana grumbled, "I swear the only reason they brought in those new rules was because of us. Personally, I blame Ziggs."

"Hey!" the green-eyed yordle shouted. "I'm not the only one to cause explosions. Last time it was your fault Trist."

"He does have a point," Teemo contributed. Upon catching the blue girl's glare however, he quickly amended, "After all, Rumble's caused a fair few explosions too."

The small boy in question didn't even deign his friends with a look, eyes focused on the page before him. "Only when Ziggs is helping me or when I'm intentionally trying to cause a combustion."

Ziggs' grin widened, "You mean like the time with Mr Bramble?"

Almost immediately Rumble's head shot up, a horrified look overtaking the blue kit's face, "I thought we said we'd never speak of that."

The brown furred yordle just cackled, "I never promised anything, Teemo did." He turned to Tristana who had a curious expression, having been the only one not present at the time of the incident. "He was so focused on getting the measurements right, he didn't even realise the science teacher had walked in. Then he just happened to be in the firing zone when Rumble-"

The cobalt yordle jumped for a distraction. "Oh hey what about this one! It's on sound waves. Actually, that could be interesting. It's not exactly the same, but have you guys ever heard of an acoustic levitation device? It's basically a really strong transducer and reflector which causes a large acoustic radiation field by creating a standing wave. If it's strong enough, you can utilize the field nodes created to suspend objects like Styrofoam balls and even water droplets."

"Cool," Tristana grinned.

"Oh yeah, I know them," Ziggs sat up, conversation from before forgotten. "My pa told me about them. If you include a Hextech amplifier you can levitate even larger objects like ping pong balls too."

"So it's decided then?" Teemo asked. The other three nodded, causing the pale yordle to grow serious, "So how do we go about this?"

"I can get most of the parts from either my papa's chop-shop or the junkyard." Rumble pulled up the clubhouse's portable spinning wire, checking through some of the online descriptions. "The amplifier, the transducer and some proper instructions Ziggs'll need to get from his papa though."

"Easy," the hazel boy grinned.

"So if you and Ziggs take charge of building it, that'll leave the part sorting, presentation to Teemo and I," Tristana rubbed her hands together in satisfaction. "Science fair here we come so you better watch out!"

* * *

Leaving their clubhouse, they made their way back to Tristana's house for their Friday night sleepover. Now that they were in high school, they hadn't been able to do this as much as they had used to. But when they were all free, or had a large project to work on, it was always their go to.

The sky was starting to darken when they entered the blue girl's home, still talking and planning out their project. As soon as they entered through the large ornate doors however, they stopped short, surprised to see the girl's parents waiting for them in the foyer. Pearl had a particularly excited look on her face, causing Tristana to instantly go into defence mode.

"Hi mother. Hi father," her grin was a little forced but her mum didn't seem to notice.

"Tristana darling, you'll never guess what's coming up!"

From within her mother's enveloped hug, Tristana shot her father a questioning look. He sent her a patient but worried look back.

The older blue female continued, "So you know how the ambassadors are currently convened in the city."

"Yes mother. You've only mentioned it like a thousand times."

"Don't get smart," Pearl reprimanded her. Her excitement however caused the woman to mainly brush it off as she continued. "Well, the mayor has decided to hold a party on Saturday night in two weeks' time, and I'm in charge of organising it! Off course it'll be a lot of work to get all the preparations in order, most of the next fortnight I imagine and definitely all of Saturday. I'll have to book the stylist and get you a dress."

"But mother!" Tristana pulled back. "The science fair is that Sunday. The guys will need my help."

Pearl deflated a bit. "Look sweetie, I know you were excited about the project but you can always participate next year. This is a once in a life time opportunity. Who knows when the next time Bandle City will be hosting such a huge event."

"But I wanted to participate this year," the blue yordle was too upset to be reasoned with, even going so far as to stomp her foot. From their position still near the door, her friends exchanged uncomfortable glances, feeling a little out of place and yet used to this occurrence all at the same time. "Why do I have to come anyway? I don't even want to go to the stupid ball."

Her mother's patience had also worn out, "Tristana stop acting like a child. This is a great privilege. Don't you want to support your mother?"

Aqua eyes narrowed, "Don't you want to support your daughter? Apparently no, so I'm not going."

"You are going young lady and that's final!"

Before things could escalate even further out of control, Charlie stepped between them. "Enough," the white furred yordle stopped them with a firm hand on each of their shoulders. "Now Tristana, this event means a lot to your mother, especially as the two us will be in charge of all the planning and preparation. It is highly unlikely we'll ever be involved in something this big ever again so it would be really appreciated if you came."

Sighing the twelve-year-old nodded her head.

Squeezing her shoulder, the yordle turned to his wife. "Likewise Pearl, you should know how much this project means to Tristana and her friends. They've talked about it for years, and now that they've finally gotten the chance to participate you're expecting her to just abandon her friends without any warning?"

The blue lady deflated, "No, I guess not."

Nodding the white yordle continued, "So here's what I propose: Tristana comes to the Gala on Saturday but she's not involved in the preparations. The two of us can handle that fine on our own. And before you say something Pearl, I'm sure her friend's parents won't mind looking after her during this busy fortnight so you don't have to worry about that. That'll give Tristana plenty of time to spend with her friends on their project. On the Saturday however, we will need you to be involved Tristana, but your friends are more than welcome to bring the project over here to work on, as long as they are quiet and obey the rules. Agreed?"

"Agreed," they mumbled together.

Satisfied, Charlie turned to the three boys waiting awkwardly to the side. "Is that alright with you three? I can trust you not to get in the way can't I?" he asked with a smile.

"Absolutely!"

"Of course."

"Sure." Came the chorus of responses.

"Well," the white yordle clapped his hands together, green eyes sparkling in relief and humour, "Now that that's sorted, how about we move from this empty foyer and go grab some dinner?"

As they headed off, Tristana discretely gave her dad a hug, "Thanks father."

He returned the gesture with a smile, "Of course Tristy. I know how much this means to you. To _both_ of you."

* * *

The first week came and went and despite the beautiful sunny weather, the four yordlings spent the majority of the time holed up in Rumble's 'workshop'.

The 'workshop', as it had been dubbed, was really just Chuck's old warehouse down the street that he'd given to his son to use for his 10th birthday. Rumble didn't care about the state of the old place; he'd just been ecstatic to have the space to himself. Before long, it was full to the brim of all his ever expanding collection of machines and experiments he and his friends (on occasion) tinkered with in their spare time. For the four of them, there had been no further thought on a better place to work on their up and coming project.

And so, as the days passed, parts were procured, pieces were put into place and the presentation was prepared. And, by the following Monday, the project was almost complete.

"I can't believe we've gotten it done so fast! Almost half the time," Teemo exclaimed. He high-fived Tristana. "At this rate, we won't even need to worry about working on Saturday."

The girl grimaced, "Ugh, don't remind me. You'll still come anyway right? For moral support?"

"Of course we'll turn up!" Ziggs grinned mischievously. "You know what we're like."

Tristana sent him a wary look before saying, "I take that back. You'll just embarrass me more."

The brown furred yordle grinned wider, "Would we do that to you?"

"Yes. Yes, you would."

Rumble smacked his friend upside the head. "Stop being a goof." Turning to the blue girl, he reassured her. "Of course we'll be there for you."

"Thank guys," she smiled, before pulling them all into a group hug. "Oh, I'm so excited for Sunday! This is going to be great!"

* * *

 **:D Oh I had so much fun writing this chapter; the banter between these four is great to write.**

 **Anyway, on a serious note, I should warn that while I will try my hardest, I don't know if I'm going to be able to make my 2 week posting schedule for the next chapter as I am three weeks away from finishing my thesis. Plus on top of that, I am also moving house and have decided to draw an entry for the Shurima art contest Riot is holding. So yeah, the next update might be a bit late. But I promise you that after that, things should settle down for a while.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you to everyone who has supported me this far :) You're the best!**


	2. Break In

**Author's Note: Hey I'm back :) and only a week late. Not bad huh? Not much to say so enjoy :)**

 **Warning: Swearing**

* * *

It was Tuesday morning and already Rumble knew it was going to be a bad day. Firstly, his alarm clock had malfunctioned, causing him to oversleep; and since his parents were both working early, he couldn't even get a lift to make up for time. Instead, he simply threw on some clothes and grabbed an apple for the road, barely making it to school on time. As he got there however, he realised that, in his rush, he'd forgotten his English report, which – surprise, surprise – was due today. With a sigh, he resigned himself to it just being one of _those_ days.

His first class that morning was English with Miss Pringer, who was definitely not happy about his forgotten report. Thankfully, Teemo and Tristana were able to talk her into giving him another day – just as long as he got it in to her first thing the next morning.

Next came his oh so favourite subject: sport. After an hour if gruelling humiliation he was finally released to lunch, where, low-and-behold, someone managed to accidentally spill their drink on him. His afternoon classes weren't so bad, but since none of his friends were in them, they ended up being quite boring. In the end he spent the rest of the afternoon staring out the window while, thankfully, nothing disastrous occurred.

Finally, the school bell rang and the relieved cobalt yordle rushed outside, more than ready to put this awful day behind him.

"Hey Rumble," Trist grinned upon catching sight of him.

Rumble, despite how downtrodden he felt, still managed to give her a smile, even if it was only a half-hearted one.

"Wow, bad day huh?" the blue girl asked with a raised eyebrow.

He sighed, "I don't want to talk about it."

Ziggs threw an arm over his shoulder. "Well on the bright side: school's over, so now we can work on our project!"

"With my luck today, you'll probably blow it up this afternoon."

Tristana burst into laughter as the green-eyed yordle shouted, "Hey! I resent that!"

"Stop being such a pessimist Rumble," the yordling girl came to her clumsy friend's aid. "And don't jinx us. He doesn't need any help." Sorta.

Ziggs feigned heartbrokenness, clutching his chest as he sent them a mournful look, "Now I see how it is. Some friends you are. Well, if I'm not wanted here I'll just go hang out with Teemo instead."

"Calm down silly," Tristana giggled. "You know we don't really mean it."

"I know," the brown-furred yordle grinned, breaking the facade.

"Besides," Rumble added, "you can't deny that you're accident prone."

The eleven-year-old shrugged, "Yeah, you're right. But that's just a by-product of my brilliance."

It was true. Despite the hyperactive yordle's energy and disregard for safety, when he and Rumble put their minds to it they could produce some truly impressive contraptions.

Rumble conceded the point before asking, "So where is Teemo anyway?"

"He's coming," Trist told him. "He just had to finish up something first."

As if on cue, the pale yordle in question came hurrying towards them.

"Good news," he grinned upon reaching them. "I finished typing up our presentation."

"Really? That's great!" The other three lit up, high-fiving the cream-coloured kit.

"That's the best news I've heard all day," Rumble told him with a smile.

It didn't last long however as a familiar voice taunted, "Well if it isn't the Heimerdinger wannabe."

With a sigh over the familiar nickname, the short kid turned to face his nemesis. "One day I'll be as great as Heimerdinger, just you wait," he challenged the bigger boy.

The pug-like yordle just laughed. "In your itty-bitty baby dreams."

 _Just my luck he'd decide to come pick on me today of all days,_ Rumble felt a headache forming from having to deal with the boy; his normally short fuse completely depleted after his day. "What do you want Klive? Did you actually have something slightly meaningful to say? Or are you just here to spout of garbage like usual. If so you can just shove off 'cause we have a project to work on."

Unexpectedly, the large yordle's grin grew bigger, setting off alarm bells in the blue boy's mind. "Why bother? You're never going to win anyway."

That got Tristana riled up and she shoved herself in the older teen's face. "Oh yeah?" the pale-blue girl glared. "And how do you know?"

He smirked, "I thought it'd be obvious why. After all, who'd be impressed at a couple of kiddies' science presentation? But to answer pipsqueak's earlier question: no, I didn't just come here to taunt you about your quaint project. In fact, I wasn't even going to bother to bring it up at all. I'm here because my sister actually wants to talk to _you_." He poked the blue girl in the chest for emphasis.

Aqua eyes narrowed. "Oh yeah? Well you can tell your sister-" the girl was cut off as a strong whiff of perfume caught her nose and an arm was slung around her shoulders.

"Tristana dear," Litani fired a 100-watt grin at her. "I hear your mother's organising the gala this weekend, are you going?"

"Yes," was the short haired girl's response, _unfortunately._

"What a coincidence, so am I!"

 _Oh joy, just when I thought it couldn't get any worse,_ the blue yordling kept her mouth shut.

"We should totally hang out there! In fact, I don't see why we don't already. We both live in the same area, our parents are both rich, respected yordles and we generally end up at the same events. You know you don't have to hang out with these rejects if you don't want to. You can be in the popular group."

Tristana stiffened, pulling out of the pale girl's grip. "I think I'd rather stick burning pokers in my eyes than hang out with you, Miss I'm-better-than-everyone-else." Moving up into the older girl's space, Tristana continued. "Now you listen here and listen well: my friends are not just some inferior, sub-standard group. Their incredible, talented, funny and compassionate yordles who are friends with me for myself and _not_ for my status. I wouldn't give them up for the world. So if you _ever_ suggest that they're second-rate again, I'll kick your butt. Got it?"

Litani sniffed. "Fine, be that way. Just don't say I didn't give you a chance." She turned to her brother, "Shall we?"

He smirked, "Of course."

With one last malicious glare, the two of them stalked off.

"That was weird," Teemo commented.

The blue girl snorted, "Probably just trying to gain favours for the gala."

"Which gave Klive the excuse to be a jerk. Not that he needs one," Ziggs agreed.

The creamy-furred kit shook his head persistently. "No, that whole interaction was off."

"Teemo's right," Rumble said quietly, not taking his eyes off of where the two has disappeared. "That wasn't like them at all. Something's wrong."

The churning in his gut increased as he remembered Klive's grin when he'd mentioned their project. It could be nothing… but with Klive it was better not to take that risk.

"Come on," he briskly took off for home. "I need to check something."

* * *

The thick tension was palpable between the four as they made their way back to Rumble's workshop. Several steps ahead, the cobalt yordle kept up a fast pace, needing to make sure his paranoia was wrong. Behind him the other three were too busy trying to keep up to say much, instead turning the rest of their attention to deciphering the strange interaction. And all the while the anticipation increased; feeding off of each yordling's reaction to its dark presence and building to the point that when the large garage finally came into view, it could not be soon enough.

Rumble let out a relieved sigh at the sight of the sturdy, old warehouse standing unchanged and still intact before them. "Guess it was nothing."

Turning to the door however, he paused in confusion. The clunky, large padlock that usually adorned the front door's handle was laying on the ground, broken into two pieces.

Rumble went cold, stalling for several seconds as fear gripped at his heart before his panic shot him into action. In a frenzied motion he threw the door open, rushing into his work-shed. Hesitant, his friends waited outside. But after several moments of agonising silence had passed and there was still no sound from their short friend, they knew something was up.

Quickly they followed, only to stop dead just inside the door. Tristana couldn't help gasping in shock as Ziggs cursed quietly at the sight that greeted them.

Their project – the device they'd worked so hard on for the past week – was in pieces; smashed and trampled into unsalvageable fragments as a few remaining sparks flared in the dying piece.

And that, unfortunately, wasn't the worst of it. All around them destruction reigned, the place barely recognisable. Blue prints and notes had been torn and disfigured; tools smashed and broken; and the countless creations the place had once held were totally and utterly destroyed. Nothing had survived the massacre. All of Rumble's mechanisms; all of his and Ziggs experiments; and all of the four friend's projects from over the past years; all of it was gone. Only the lifeless husks of the former contraptions remained, scattered carelessly across the room.

And in the centre of it all, as broken in that moment as his creations, kneeled Rumble. Glazed eyes stared forward, barely taking in the sight. The boy sat trembling amongst the rubble, too numb to even register the sound of his friends cautiously approaching.

"Rumble?" Tristana called softly, but the blue boy didn't respond. Gently she touched his shoulder. "Hey talk to me. Are you ok?"

 _Obviously not,_ she scolded herself, but she couldn't think of what else to say.

And still he didn't respond. Unsure what else to do, she gave him a little shake, and, as if a switch had been flicked, he stood up with a growl.

"I'll kill him." Fury blazed in his amber eyes as the small yordle stalked towards the door. Only to be stopped by an uncharacteristically sombre and authoritative Ziggs.

"Move," he ground out.

"No," Ziggs shook his head.

Trying to get around him, the blue yordle hissed, "Get out of the way!"

The chestnut kid stood his ground. "Look Rumble, I know you're upset-"

"You think?" Rumble's voice oozed with condescending sarcasm but Ziggs just ignored him.

"-but you can't just take on Klive by yourself: he'll beat you to a bloody pulp!"

"I don't care!" The smaller boy tried to shove past his friend but was stopped as a pair of strong arms were wrapped around his torso. Rumble growled, fighting furiously against the restraint, but Teemo's grip was unbreakable. "Let go!"

"Rumble stop!" Tristana pleaded, but the cobalt yordle couldn't hear her over his own fury.

"He destroyed everything! Everything! Years' worth of work and research gone! I'm going to have to start it all over from scratch. All of it! And why? Because one _fucking asshole_ with a sick sense of humour decided he didn't want us to win a _school science fair!_ Do you have any idea how that feels?"

"I'm angry too!" Ziggs snapped. "I had stuff in here too! Experiments, ideas, projects. Things that we both poured our time and effort into. We _all_ had stuff in here Rumble. And every one of us has the right to be upset." His ears drooped in sadness and the forlorn pain in his expression caused Rumble to decrease in his struggles. "But going after Klive is just what he wants; and I don't want to have to scrape up one of my best friends off the sidewalk. Look. I know it'll take time, but everything here at least can be replaced. You can't."

By this stage, the blue yordle's fighting had ceased and Teemo was able to relax his grip. He did not let go however, in fear that the smaller boy would collapse face first into the ground without the support. The kit hung limp in the pale yordle's grasp, head low. "Alright," he conceded.

Seeing that the blue yordle had calmed down a little, Tristana pulled him into a hug, which he gratefully returned, burying his head into her shoulder. The other two drew closer too, comforting their hurting friend. And, for the first time since he had started school, Rumble cried.

"Don't worry," Tristana told him, her own anger hardening into determination. "We'll get Klive back for this. But on our own terms, not his."

* * *

 **So, if anyone is interested my Shurima picture got shortlisted but I didn't win anything. In other news Riot's holding a fanfiction contest by July 11th now so I'm thinking of entering that too :D. So yeah, my next update might be a bit slow again.**

 **I also had a question for my all my readers: how much would guys enjoy me drawing scenes/characters from this series? I have already drawn a picture of Kennen and Poppy which you can find a link of on my profile page and I am keen to draw some more pictures from it. Be warned though, I'm very slow at updating.**

 **Thank you for all your support, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)**

 **Aiden: Haha, I'm glad you're enjoying it**


	3. Not this Time

**Author's Note: Sorry again for the delay but I got sick :( It wasn't fun. But things should be back to normal now :). Hope you enjoy an extra long chapter and thank you all for your amazing reviews :).**

* * *

Teemo was in a sombre, thoughtful mood as he made his way home. Today had been …trying, the twelve-year-old mused. Their project was in pieces, one of his best friends had been seriously hurt and Teemo …he didn't know what to do. The pale kit sighed; he hadn't felt this lost since his brother had left for Ionia.

The sigh turned into a scowl. This sense of uselessness – of not being able to do anything or come up with a solution – was not a feeling he much enjoyed. Nor was it an emotion he was used to. Usually, he was able to keep a level head and think his way through any problematic situation he and his friends encountered (and with a group of friends as wild and enthusiastic as his, that happened very frequently), but in this case there wasn't a lot he _could_ do.

Sure, he still had their presentation, but it wasn't much good without the project itself, and unfortunately, he wasn't going to be very useful for finding the parts they needed to rebuild it. He wasn't the best yordle when it came to technology in general; in that regard Rumble, Ziggs and even Tristana heavily outclassed him in terms of knowledge.

There also wasn't a lot he could do to help comfort Rumble either. None of them could. At the very least, he was glad Ziggs had been able to talk the smaller boy out of going after Klive. Teemo knew he wouldn't have been able to hold onto his irate friend forever, and once the cobalt yordle had gotten loose, the results would have been disastrous.

So that was a 'no' on the project and a 'no' on his friend.

He sighed again. Perhaps there was something else he could do. Even as the cream-coloured yordle thought this, his conversation with Ziggs that day came back to him. His expression lightened: that could help. Sure, it wasn't a practical task, but it would definitely help in lifting everyone's spirits.

With a plan in mind, the yordling was able to summon a semi-genuine smile when he got home.

"Hey mum. Hey dad," the pale yordle called as he pleaded silently, _please don't ask about the project._

"Hello Teemo," Nina smiled. "Dinner's almost ready, so why don't you go clean up quickly."

"Ok," he nodded before heading up to his room. Once the twelve-year-old was out of sight, he let out a relieved sigh. So far so good.

Chucking his stuff inside, he quickly cleaned up before heading back to the living room. As he reappeared, Miles looked up at him. "Guess what came for you today," he smiled, holding up a letter.

Teemo's grin became genuine as he recognised the scrawled handwriting on the front. "No way!" he pulled the letter towards him. "It's been a couple of months since his last one."

The kit ripped the letter open, giving a brief verbal description as he read. "He says he's doing well, just been busy with, and I quote, 'being a flippin' awesome ninja and other more serious Kinkou stuff' which is why he hasn't been able to respond in a while… He also wants me to tell you 'hi' and that he misses you... other than that, it's just a bunch of little day to day happenings and some responses to my last letter. Oh," the pale yordle's ears drooped a little, "he asked about Poppy."

"Doesn't he know she's in Demacia?" Nina asked as she came in with the food; Miles standing up to help his wife with the load.

Teemo shook his head a little guiltily. "No. He hasn't asked about her in ages. And, in all honesty, I haven't wanted to bring it up; especially since no one really knows what happened."

"You should probably tell him," the apricot yordle told her son, but he just shrugged non-committedly. Changing tact, the woman recommended, "But if you wanted to know more about it, perhaps you should ask Tristana for help. After all, the gala she's going to this weekend is for the city-state ambassadors. Chances are she'll be there."

"That's true," Teemo brightened. Turning his puppy eyes to his dad he asked, "Speaking of this weekend, can I borrow your camera?"

The chocolate-furred yordle raised an eyebrow. "Why? Is it for your project?"

Teemo's ears drooped. "Ah no. It's not."

Picking up on his son's short response, Miles asked. "Is everything alright?"

"I-I," the weight of today's events grew with the kit and he caved, unable to carry it alone. "No. I don't even know if there's going to be a project."

"Why? What happened?" his mother asked, concerned.

Teemo sighed, playing with his food as his said as calmly as possible, "Klive wrecked it." _Along with the rest of Rumble's workshop,_ he didn't add. "Didn't want us to win or something."

"What?!" Nina exploded. "Why that no good-" her rant subsided as Miles pulled his fuming wife back down. "I don't understand why he continues to pick on you." She said more calmly.

The pale kit shrugged. "It's mainly Rumble he picks on," the boy grimaced. "And I think it's mostly because he won't back down and always get Klive back."

Klive thrived on dominance; though Teemo had never worked out why, he'd realised the older boy's motivation a long time ago. It was why Rumble infuriated him so much. No matter what the bigger teen did to the cobalt yordling, he never showed the teen the respect he thought he deserved. And the smaller boy always, always got even with him. Hypothetically, if they really wanted to get Klive off their backs, Teemo knew they were better off keeping their heads low and just taking the aggression until the teen was satisfied. But they never would. His friends were just too proud to ever consider backing down. Even Teemo had to admit that while he knew he could keep his head down for a while, he didn't really want to. He was proud of his friends for sticking it Klive and the gang of goons he called friends.

Still, it was hard sometimes. Every time Tristana was pushed around by the bigger yordle, every time Ziggs was demeaned for his explosive reputation and every time Rumble came to school with several new bruises and a reclusive attitude, Teemo's felt his blood boiling. In those moments he wished that his friends weren't the targets protecting everyone else from the pug yordle's wrath. But that was just the way they all were.

"At least tell me that something's being done about it."

Pulled out of his thoughts, the pale yordle nodded, "Yeah, Rumble's dad was calling up about it. Not much else the rest of us can do though." Trying to utilise his sympathy advantage, he asked again, "So dad, can I borrow your camera?"

Miles, however, didn't fall for it. "It depends," he countered with a knowing look, "what do you need it for?"

 _Worth a shot,_ Teemo decided to tell him the (partial) truth. "Ziggs and I need it to capture a once in a life time occurrence," he grinned.

"Only you and Ziggs? What about Tristana and Rumble?" his mum asked curiously.

"Well," Teemo indulged. "It kinda involves Tristana and we want to surprise her. As for Rumble, well it involves Tristana. Enough said." He shrugged.

"Want to run that one by me again," Nina raised an eyebrow.

The pale kit rolled his eyes, "Rumble has a crush on Tristana."

The yordling said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world but the pale pink yordle still looked astonished by the knowledge. "How do you know that?"

Even his dad seemed surprised, so Teemo, taking pity on his parents, explained. "It's pretty obvious. Ziggs and I have known for _ages._ Honestly, I'm surprised no one else can see it. Though I guess no one else has bothered to get to know him well enough to," his ears dropped a little for his friend's predicament before he continued. "It's kinda funny to tease him about it because he gets so flustered. But it's also a little sad because I don't think anything will come of it. Just because Tristana isn't interested in that sort of stuff _at all_ and she's also as oblivious as a rockmole when it comes to people hitting on her. And Rumble is just too stubborn to _ever_ admit it." Figuring he'd explained well enough the kit moved back to the more pressing topic. "We were thinking of including him in our plan though. Ziggs and I just haven't gotten round to talking to him yet. So can I borrow your camera?"

Miles sighed, "You're not going to drop this are you?"

"Nope," Teemo admitted cheerily.

"Fine," the brown furred yordle gave in, before his blue eyes narrowed. "But I expect it back in the condition you got it in. Deal?"

"Deal," the twelve-year-old grinned, finally digging into his meal. "Thanks for the food mum."

* * *

It was a typical week night in the Van Roon household; meaning everything was in chaos. At the moment, the pandemonium was centred in the kitchen. The room was packed full of yordles while the tables and surrounding benches were stacked with food and various other items that really didn't belong there – including a flute, several toy cars and dolls, homework notes, engine parts and at least three hats.

Heather had tried to teach her children to put things away, but after so many years with so many kids, she'd eventually given up and adapted to it. Currently she was multitasking by feeding her youngest in the high chair, helping her six-year-old twins with their food and trying to eat her own dinner.

To the plump, brown-furred yordle's side, her husband was reading his latest experimental data, only half paying attention to his food. He too had adapted to their unorthodox dining arrangement; over the years bringing less and less experiments to the table and learning to automatically catch drinks and deflect food knocked over by their rambunctious children.

Overall it was a typical meal; except for the actions of one yordle. Ziggs sat uncharacteristically subdued, slowly pushing his food round his plate, deep in thought.

Noticing her son's unusual behaviour, Heather subtly caught her husband's attention by poking him with her fork. The action caused Lewis to blink his bright, green eyes a couple of times as he was pulled from his work, before the mousy-furred yordle focused on his wife.

She gestured to their son, causing the other yordle's ears to raise in surprise. Their middle son was almost always cheerful; it was hard for anything to get him down. To see him so quiet immediately raised their concerns. As his wife had her hands full already, however, Lewis decided to take charge.

He nudged the boy, "Hey kiddo, what's wrong?"

Frowning at his food, Ziggs asked the question that had been bothering him all night, "What do you do, when someone you care about is upset, and there's nothing you can do to fix it?"

"Did something happen?" the tan coloured scientist asked worried.

Ziggs shrugged. "Kinda. It's just been happening a lot lately. Trist's been upset about her ma and the upcoming party all week and now Rumble's pissed cause his garage was broken into and our project was wrecked. And I don't know what to do."

The two adults exchanged looks over their sons lowered head, but before either of them could say anything, Pip chimed in.

"Do you know who broke in?" the six-year-old's voice caused Ziggs to look at his sibling but before his could answer, her twin nudged her.

"I bet it was Klive. It's always Klive."

"It was," Rose said, looking at her brother Jos, "We heard him bragging about it at the park."

The other sixteen-year-old sneered. "He was so happy about it too. I really wanted to punch him in his smug face."

"So what are you going to do now?" Sophie asked concerned.

Ziggs shrugged, "I don't know if there's much we can do. We don't have any proof that he did it."

"You could still beat the snot out of him. Don't need any proof for that," Jos muttered. "I'd help."

"Are you going to fight him?!" Cam exclaimed. "Can I help?!" The excited eight-year-old threw a few imaginary punches to show off, accidently knocking over the juice in the process.

"Only if you do my chores for the week," Ziggs grinned.

"What? No way! Wait… maybe?" the chocolate coloured yordling responded.

"Enough!" Heather raised her voice, silencing the conversation at once. "Jos, Ziggs and Cam, you know how I feel about fighting. I am appalled you'd even think of taking such actions. And your chores are not to be used as bargaining tools. Let's get those things straight right now." Brown eyes lasered in on the three guilty yordlings before, in a soft but still stern voice, she continued. "I appreciate you wanting to help out your brother and am very proud of you standing up for him, but violence is rarely the solution. It will not change the fact that the project was broken, nor do I believe that it will deter this Klive from singling Ziggs and his friends out again. Do you understand what I am saying?"

"Yes ma," they all chorused.

"Good," the plump yordle woman nodded. "Now Cam, could you clean up the mess you made. And Jos, help your sister please."

The two yordlings gave resigned nods before mopping up the spilled liquid and the room quietly began eating again.

As Jos made his way back to his seat, the honey-furred yordle leant close to his younger brother. "But seriously," he whispered to Ziggs. "If you need any help with Klive just let me know and I'll be there in a heartbeat."

"Thanks Jos," Ziggs' smile widened at his brother's support. "But I think we'll be ok."

The older boy shrugged, "If you're sure." With that the teen moved to sit beside his twin.

Ziggs smiled as he gazed at his family. They may get on each other's nerves all the time, but his siblings always came through when he needed them. The brown-furred yordle couldn't even imagine what life would be like without all of them and their wild, smothering support. Despite their differences, in this moment he couldn't be more grateful to have them all.

Turning back to his food, the kit's grin faded as the dilemma at hand came back into focus. He still didn't know what to do. He was the funny one, the yordle that could always make his friends laugh, even in the worst situations. The one who could always be counted on to find the bright side under any circumstance. But not this time. This time, there was nothing he could do. And it was driving him crazy. What good was he if he couldn't even help his friends in their time of need?

Sensing her son's sinking mood, Heather sighed. "I'm sorry Ziggs. But there isn't all that much you can do in those situations. The best thing you can do is be there for your friends. Because sometimes, even if you can't fix the problem, it helps immensely to know that you are there for them; that they're not alone and that they have people there to support them through it."

Ziggs made a disgruntled noise, "Great. I can be feel-good-Phil."

"Make all the jokes you want about it," the plump woman told him. "But that doesn't make it any less true."

"I know," the boy sighed. "And I really appreciate the advice. But I still wish there was _something_ I could do to help."

"Well," Lewis stroked his chin, green eyes narrowing. "Perhaps you can. Our department replaced our thermo-acoustic engine just this week and I had to bring home the old transducer and reflector. I'm sure no one will mind if I give them to a good cause." He winked.

Ziggs jaw dropped, "No way!" Catapulting from his seat in excitement (and disrupting the table as he went), the eleven-year-old launched himself at his dad. "Pa, you are so awesome! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"No problem kiddo." Catching sight of his wife's withering look over the boy's head, the tawny yordle just grinned innocently. "What? I'm being supportive. Isn't that what you were talking about?"

Heather simply let out a fond sigh.

* * *

 **I thought it was about time we saw more of their families :).**

 **A couple of fun facts this chapter.**

 **1\. Van Roon is actually Meddler's last name. I thought it was a fitting shout out as Ziggs was the first champion designed by him :).**

 **2\. Lewis was named after the main character in 'Meet the Robinsons'**

 **3\. The main reason I included the letter from Kennen is because I've gotten a lot of questions about how he'd react to what happened to Poppy. Well surprise :D! He doesn't actually know. In fact no one really knows what happened. One day Blomgrun and his daughter left for Demacia and the next thing Poppy's the yordle ambassador. So yeah, only a select few people really know what happened on the way there.**

 **Hope you enjoyed :). Next update should be on time.**

 **The dad friend: Aww thank you for your beautiful review :) it made my smile so much. But please don't stay up reading till 6am for my sake - the next day's not fun, trust me.**


	4. Parental Advice

**Author's note: This chapter is pretty similar to last chapter. I just couldn't fit all four of them into one chapter :). Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Rumble glared at the plate he was currently washing, only half of his mind on the task; the other half was consumed with the events of today. At the thought of Klive's smug grin, his grip on the plate tightened. Of all the torment that ugly, obnoxious yordle had put him though, this definitely took the cake. The droopy-eared teen's taunts didn't faze him (most of the time, they were so unimaginative it was laughable) and the beat downs were normal (Rumble had long ago learnt not to give the bigger teen any satisfaction from reacting. He had even broken the twelve-year-old's nose without causing the smaller boy to cry out). Even when Klive occasionally went after his friends it didn't hurt as much; sure he hated it, but he knew they were strong enough to take care of themselves. This however, was different. He put his heart and soul into every project he made; every creation and every experiment contained a piece of him. A piece Klive had broken when he'd destroyed his workshop.

"I know you're angry, but do you have to take it out on the dishes? They've done nothing to you," a gentle voice broke through his negative thoughts.

The twelve-year-old glanced sheepishly at the plate he'd been scrubbing for the last ten minutes, noticing the giant puddle forming on the bench. "Sorry."

His mother gave him a soft hug. "It's ok. I know you're upset."

A sigh could be heard across the room as Chuck joined his wife and son. "I'm sorry there wasn't more we could do. I called the police, and they're looking into it, but unfortunately, they doubt there's much they can do without proof. Sorry son."

Rumble kept his eyes on the plate, "Figures."

Rosalyn looked at her small son, taking in the quiet fury radiating off him in waves. In public, Rumble's anger and feistiness was loud and belligerent; he didn't care if he upset anyone with his directness and he always made sure that those who hurt him knew exactly what he thought of them. But when he was alone (or with the few yordles he truly cared about) his anger and sadness were much more internalised, trying to not let the others know it was bothering him.

However, the boy had always been pretty hopeless at hiding his feelings, especially from his mother; she could see exactly how much this was hurting him. But the pale blue female also knew that the way he dealt with the pain was by busying himself first and then talking when he was ready.

So she simply moved next to the boy, putting the clean dishes away she chatted to her wiry husband. Rumble welcomed the distraction; using the words and the chores as a way to ground himself, even if it was obvious he was only half listening.

They were almost finished when Rumble finally spoke. "I just don't understand why he continues to pick on me. It's been seven years and I'm still his favourite target."

Rosalyn had no answer to that. Instead she sighed before saying, "Well, at least he's finishing school at the end of this year, so you won't have to put up with him after that."

"Right," Rumble mumbled half-heartedly. He didn't bother to tell her that it wasn't just Klive. Sure the senior was the worst perpetrator, but there were plenty of other kids in every grade that he frequently had run ins with.

"Is," he asked hesitantly, "is there something wrong with me?" He would never have admitted these doubts if it was just Klive and his goons he had to look out for; but considering just how many students he'd had conflicts with, he did sometimes wonder if it had something to do with the way he was.

His parents exchanged looks before Rosalyn turned to her son. The blue yordling refused to meet her eyes.

"Rumble," she told him softly. "There is nothing wrong with you."

His amber eyes stayed glued to the cup he was currently washing as he continued in a subdued voice, "Mr Jadefellow says my temper gets me into a lot of trouble."

His parent's eyes met again, Chuck's brown ones narrowing into an expression that promised a firm chat with the boy's teacher in the future. The female, however, once more took charge.

"Rumble, look at me." Reluctantly he let her gentle hand turn his head, meeting her soft amber eyes. "You may not be perfect. But that doesn't mean anything is wrong with you."

"Ya mama's right," Chuck joined the two of them. "Yes ya have a short-fuse; and I'm sorry son but you got that from me." An amused look passed between the two adults as they remembered some of the more … memorable interactions that had occurred when they first met. "It's something I've had to work on ma whole life, just like you will. But let me tell you, from ma own personal experience, you have to accept ya whole self – flaws and all – before you can go about fixing ya weaknesses."

"No one is perfect," the blue female continued, never breaking eye contact. "But your flaws are not what define you. Your papa has just as strong a temper as you, but I love him anyway. Isn't it the same with your friends? They're not perfect, are they?"

"No," the blue boy conceded.

"But you like them anyway. Why?"

"Because," Rumble didn't even know where to begin. "Because they're great! They're kind and caring and smart and funny and they don't care about what others think. They're brave and enthusiastic and are interested in so many weird and cool topics rather than the boring stuff the other kids talk about and-" He also didn't know where to stop.

His mum cut him off with a chuckle, "Exactly. You like them not because they're perfect, but because their strengths and talents outweigh their flaws and weaknesses. It's the same with you Rumble."

"You may have a mean temper and a smart mouth," Chuck ruffled the boy's hair causing him to laugh and pull away. "But ya also smart, passionate, resourceful and extremely loyal, just to name a few."

"Never let your weakness define who you are, Rumble. You just need to be yourself and you'll go far."

The small yordle gave his parents a tight hug. "Thanks mama and papa."

They returned the rare contact with just as much love; trying to convey as much compassion to their son as they could.

Pulling back Chuck smiled. "We can do the rest of the dishes. Why don't you take the rest of the night off."

"Actually," the twelve-year-old rubbed the back of his neck. "I think I'd like to spend tonight with you guys."

Rosalyn gave him a soft smile, "We'd love that."

"How about we play a board game," Chuck suggested. "It's been a while since we've had time play one of those altogether."

"Yeah!" Rumble exclaimed excitedly. "I'll go grab them."

* * *

Tristana lay on her stomach in bed, struggling to concentrate on the question in front of her. After reading it for the fifth time over without taking it in however, she gave up, laying her head on the book with a sigh as her concentration fully focused on the events of the afternoon in distaste.

Before she could dwell on them for too long however, a knock on her door drew her attention.

"It's open," the girl called.

Her father's white head popped through, "Hey Tristy, just thought I'd give you a heads up that your mother and I are going to both be home for dinner tonight. So please, play nice."

Tristana sighed. As her mother was pretty much in charge of the upcoming gala, both of her parents had been extremely busy this week. Most nights she'd been spending at her friends' places to ease some of the pressure off of them. And while she was glad that the two of them finally had some time to rest, she really didn't want to put up with her mother's antics after today's events.

Still, looking up at her dad's exhausted expression, she gave in. "Ok. I'll try."

Charlie gave her a tired smile, "Thanks Tristy. Also, just thought I'd warn you in advance: she's bringing home your dress."

The blue girl groaned, flopping backwards in an exaggerated action as her father chuckled.

 _Perfect,_ the yordling thought with a sour expression, _just what I needed to top off today._

Noticing her sullen mood, the fluffy male entered further into the room. "Hey, are you ok?"

"Yeah," she lied. "Just a bit stuck on this history quiz. Think you could help?"

"Of course," he smiled, joining her on her bed when she scooted over to make room for him. Looking over the question she was currently working on, he started explaining the origin of the Great Hunt. However, no matter how much she tried to pay attention to what her father was saying, the twelve-year-old still couldn't concentrate.

Sensing his daughter's distraction, the pale yordle raised an eyebrow. "Ok, what's really going on? You love learning about Megling, but tonight I can barely hold your attention."

The white-haired girl let out a long breath before admitting, "One of the kids at school destroyed our project."

Her father frowned. "That is unfortunate. I'm sorry Tristana, I know how much that project meant to all of you."

"Yeah," the yordling's response lacked lustre.

"So," his tone became serious, "What are you going to do about it?"

"Huh?"

His expression softened, though the intensity remained. "Unfortunately, not everything in life is going to go as you plan. Bad things happen, that's a given. Because no matter what you do or how much you plan, some things in life are just not going to go your way. But how you react to them, and what you do afterwards, that is what separates the good from the great. It's an important skill to learn in life, especially if you want to be a Megling. So I'll ask you again: what are you going to do about it?"

She gave him a half-hearted grin, "I don't suppose ditching the party to redo the project and then beating up Klive is the correct answer?"

"Nope," the white yordle returned her grin. "Try again."

The blue girl sighed again, "I'm wondering if redoing the project is even worth it. I don't know if we have the time and trying to rush it just won't be fun for any of us."

Her dad nodded, "That is a good point. It's also a very mature thing to consider, because it is important to be able to evaluate whether something is still worth pursuing despite previous investment. However, I also think you and your friends definitely have the ability to reproduce the project if you put your minds to it, so don't rule it out just yet."

"Well," Tristana thought about it more seriously. "We still have the presentation, so we don't need to do that again. And considering how little time it took us last time to put it together, I do think it's doable even with my limited freedom on Saturday. About the only thing holding us back is parts. Rumble and Ziggs had to search for days last time to find all the necessary components and this time we only have four days. But… I also don't know what the others have, so… I'm thinking tomorrow maybe we should stockpile what we have and what we think we can achieve and make a decision from there?"

"That seems like a very good plan," Charlie praised, causing the girl to smile.

"Thanks father," she gave him a hug.

"Any time Tristy," he returned it.

"And what exactly is going on here?"

The two yordles turned to see Pearl standing in the doorway with an eyebrow raised. The lady looked exhausted, with bags under her eyes and her normally immaculate azure hair falling out of its bun. But she still managed to hold herself with an air of authority.

"Father's helping me with my homework," the blue girl stated, causing her mother's expression to soften.

"It's nice to know that despite all of this disruption, you've still found time to keep your studies up."

"Of course," the yordle girl didn't bother to mention that it was mostly because she needed to keep her grades up if she wanted to apply for the Megling Commandos when she was old enough. She really didn't feel like fighting with her mother tonight. Plus, she had promised her dad.

"Oh!" Pearl brightened as she remembered why she'd headed straight here in the first place. "I have something for you! You'll love it, I promise."

She quickly left the room, just long enough for father and daughter to exchange looks, before she was back. "Tada!" she showed the dress off.

Tristana had to admit, as far as dresses went, it was nice. It wasn't gaudy or tacky or covered in glitter. The chiffon, sleeveless bodice was modest but well fitted, with an intricate pattern that wound down the left side and across the right side of the skirt. The skirt itself attached at the fitted waist to fall in a half-circle ruffle at the knees, providing an elegant look while still providing ease of movement. However, there was one glaringly obvious flaw that had the blue girl wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"It's pink." Tristana loathed the feminine colour and all it represented.

The girl would have said more but a resigned, pleading look from her father had her biting her tongue. She had promised after all.

Pearl looked apologetic, sending her husband an embarrassed look before she turned back to her daughter. "I'm sorry Tristana. I know you don't like the colour but it was the best I could find on short notice; all the other dresses were either tacky, too revealing or wouldn't fit you. Besides, as much as you don't like it, the colour really does suit you."

Tristana didn't exactly agree, but instead of saying anything, she simply spoke between gritted teeth. "It's fine. I suppose it could be worse and it's only for one night after all."

The white-furred male sent his daughter a grateful look that Pearl completely missed as she took in her child's statement with pleasant surprise. Honestly, she'd been expecting a lot more resistance and was grateful that she didn't have to fight about it tonight.

"You'll have a great time, don't worry," she told the yordling enthusiastically. "It truly will be a night to remember, I promise."

"I can hardly wait," the blue girl's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Ok," Charlie clapped his hands together, sensing that the situation was starting to deteriorate. "It's getting late; so why don't we go start dinner."

* * *

 **I had a ball writing these chapters. Seeing the relationships between the different yordle families is so much fun :). Let me know what you think :).**

 **Skullion123: Ah I was wondering if this was going to be brought up. It's probably good to address it here. So I have said in the past that I wasn't going to introduce pairings for quite a while and this is still true. I have also been deliberately vague on the whole Teemo/Tristana/Rumble triangle because it's an important part of the grand story line. This does not necessarily mean certain characters feelings aren't going to be obvious, they're just not going to be resolved for a while. Rumble in particular is someone whose feelings I could always picture occurring very early on, and it's important because this is going to be a very big part of his character later on. For better or for worse I'll let you guys find out as I write. Anyway, thank you for your support no matter who ends up together. Sometimes the pressure from people wanting a certain pairing can be very overwhelming, especially as a relatively new writer.**


	5. Picture Perfect

**Author's note: Hi, sorry it's a bit late. Week's been hectic and most of my free time has gone into drawing a birthday present for my housemate. But he liked it and the chapter's up now so everyone's happy :).**

* * *

Tristana was woken up Saturday morning by rapid knocking on her door as her mother's brisk voice called out, "Tristana! Wake up! We've got a big day today."

"Ugh," the girl feebly moved, white hair filling her vision as she blinked the sleep from her eyes. "I'm up!" she called groggily, causing the knocking to stop.

"Good. I expect you downstairs in fifteen minutes."

Tristana sighed, turquoise eyes closing as Pearl's footsteps disappeared. She really didn't feel like getting up. But the blue girl knew that if she wasn't downstairs in exactly fifteen minutes her mother would be right back nagging at the door.

If only she wasn't so tired. Her friends and herself had been up late last night working on their science fair project. Tristana grinned at the thought; they'd been able to go ahead with their levitation device after all. Amazingly, Ziggs had been able to obtain almost all the necessary parts they'd needed to continue. Needless to say, the others had been impressed (something the hazel yordling had not let them forget for the rest of the week as he paraded around like a smug peacock).

However, despite their renewed enthusiasm, the quartet had still needed to put in a lot of effort to get back on track. Last night had been particularly late and the twelve-year-old would bet that all three of her friends were still soundly asleep at this very moment; something she desperately wished she could do too. But alas, it was not meant to be; instead she had to get up and spend an entire day organising and preparing for the prestigious and proper ball tonight. Oh joy.

 _Well,_ she thought as she swung herself out of bed, _if I want to be a Megling Commando I'm going to have to get used to waking up early – even with late nights._ She steeled herself, _and I'll also have to get used to dealing with uncomfortable situations._

* * *

The morning passed in a blur of motion. Yordles came and went from the house as all the last minute preparations were taken care of. Pearl was in charge of the preparations at the Great Hall where the Gala was taking place, while Charlie oversaw the movement from their home. Tristana helped her father out where she could by directing the workers and carrying the smaller, less fragile objects.

Around noon, the stylist finally managed to track her down and the blue yordling was forced to endure her detailed focus. Thankfully, it was around this time that her friends also turned up.

Charlie opened the door, ceasing the perpetual bell tone, to observe his daughter's three friends standing on the step. Teemo and Rumble were carrying their sound levitation device between them, leaving Ziggs free to press the doorbell.

The white-furred adult raised an eyebrow, unsurprised at the culprit of the bell shenanigans. "You do know that pressing a doorbell multiple times will not get me to get here any faster. Right?"

"Isn't that elevators?" the boy asked cheekily.

"Works for both," Charlie grinned, letting the trio inside.

"Oh, this is for you," Teemo passed Tristana's dad a container. "Ziggs' mum made you all some food. She figured you'd be too busy today to have time yourself."

"She gave it to Teemo because he was most likely to actually get it to you," Rumble added.

Ziggs just shrugged. "Can't argue with that."

Tristana's father smiled, gratefully taking the food. "Tell Heather thank you and that it's very much appreciated." Straightening up, he gave out a long sigh, "I can't stay long, I'm needed to oversee the dining arrangements. Tristana's up in the study getting her hair done; so why don't you three head up and keep her company. Just remember: do as you're told and don't get into trouble."

"Thanks Mr Chevalier," Teemo called as they headed up.

"And don't fear, we'll stay out of trouble," Ziggs added with his trade mark grin.

Charlie shook his head with another sigh; hopefully they wouldn't be too much mischief.

* * *

"Fear not Tristana, your saviours have arrived!" Ziggs announced as they entered the study. The girl in question was sitting not-so-patiently in a chair on the side as a yellow-skinned yordle painstakingly brushed the twelve-year-old's shoulder length white hair. Her expression brightened as her friends entered.

The yordling dramatically continued, "No longer shall you be ensnared in the thralls of boredom. For we, your brave and loyal – not to mention good looking – friends, have arrived to save you from the evil clutches of monody."

"Pretty sure the word you're looking for is monotony," Teemo pointed out. "A monody is a poem or song about a tragedy."

"Which is what you're putting us through at the moment," Rumble added.

Tristana just grinned. "I don't care. I'm just grateful you three could be here, as Ziggs so elegantly put it, to save me from the clutches of monody and boredom."

Ignoring the obvious jab, Ziggs turned to the other boys, "See, she gets it."

Shaking his head, Rumble pulled his quirky friend over to their project. "Come on, we've got a project to work on."

The next hour passed in relative peace as the three boys worked on their sonic levitation device and the stylist continued to mould Tristana's hair into shape. All the while, the four yordlings continued to throw countless puns, quips and jabs at each other between their speech practice. It was obvious that the stylist was a little annoyed at their antics, but they weren't being too disruptive and they were keeping the girl entertained so she couldn't complain.

Finally, the yellow yordle stood back, satisfied with her work. It had not been easy. As a personal friend of Pearl's, she'd been delighted at the prospect of helping her family get ready for the gala. But knowing how well the blue-skinned woman kept her appearance, the stylist had been shocked at the state of her daughter. The girl's appearance was wild: with skinned knees, scratched arms, and tangled hair. But finally, finally she had smoothened out the girl's rough exterior into a polished gem – or at least her hair. The rest of the girl would take a bit more work. Still, she was proud of her work so far; when she was finished, the girl would be unrecognisable.

"Tada!" the stylist crowed, handing the girl a mirror as she held another up behind her for a proper look.

The twelve-year-old grimaced at her appearance, "Ugh, I look like a prissy."

That caused Ziggs to laugh while Teemo just smiled.

"Don't be like that," the cream-coloured yordling said. His mouth twitched in a knowing grin. "We think you look nice. Right Rumble?"

The cobalt kit looked up from where he'd been trying to fix the transducer's connection to the blue girl in front of them before his face flushed and he stuttered, "Ah pretty look yes. I mean, yes. You look fice-Nice-Fine. What he said."

Face still bright red, he dove back into his work, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

Behind their backs, Ziggs and Teemo hi-fived.

Missing the motion, Tristana just frowned. "I still don't like it."

A little disheartened by the unenthusiastic response, the stylist snapped abruptly, "Alright, time for makeup."

The girl made a face as she was turned to face the big-haired woman. "Kill me now."

"Can I write your eulogy?"

"Ziggs!" Tristana turned to glare at her friend before the stylist turned her face back.

"I need you to keep still," she said pointedly.

"What?" the green-eyed boy grinned as he pursued the topic. "It'd be great."

Teemo and Rumble rolled their eyes, used to their friend's antics but finding the situation a little amusing all the same.

Tristana, however, was too upset about the situation to find much humour in it, sending the boy another glare – much to the stylist's exasperation.

The chestnut yordle didn't even bat an eyelid at the deadly look. Drawing himself up, the eleven-year-old spread his arms (almost knocking their project over had it not been for Teemo's quick reflexes) and announced, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to mourn the passing of Tristana Chevalier; a bright, spirited soul, whom was taken too soon from us." His grin grew as he heard the other boys snickering. "Alas, this poor girl was snatched by the untimely jaws of social obligations and enforced mannerisms. Smothered to death under the weight of surplus makeup and hairspray. No longer shall she run through the fields with the thresher geese, nor gleefully swing from the trees with her great, amazingly talented and funny friends. But though she is lost to us forever, we pray that she may rest and enjoy the tight embrace of the all-seeing mother."

With that, all three boys collapsed in laughter as Tristana tried to lunge at her friends.

"Enough!" The sun-coloured yordle broke the mood with a face like a thunder cloud. "Tristana, for the last time: sit still!" The stylist forced the yordling back into her seat, facing the girl towards her for the eighth time. Turning back to the gaggle of boys on the ground, her expression hardened. "And you three: if you're only going to be a disturbance you can get out!"

"But-" Ziggs' ears fell.

"I don't want to hear it. Out now!"

"We did promise," Teemo reasoned, causing the other two to sigh. "Sorry Trist."

With forlorn looks, the three boys cast Tristana one last good luck before heading out.

* * *

Charlie returned late in the afternoon to find the three boys huddled in the foyer corner, refining their project.

Raising an eyebrow, he dead-panned, "I see you got kicked out from upstairs."

"Yeah," Rumble grumbled. "Ziggs was being too distracting."

The brown-furred boy grinned sheepishly.

Teemo, however, just shrugged, "It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"Fair point."

As the three of them turned back to their project, Charlie joined them with a sigh. "So this is your project huh. How does it work?"

"So basically," Ziggs turned to the older yordle, explaining eagerly. "The transducer emits a sound wave and with this control panel we can control the amplitude and the frequency. The sound wave is then reflected back to the transducer using the reflector at the top which, at the right frequencies, creates a standing wave."

"The pressure created from the sound wave is great enough to hold small objects at the nodes," Rumble took over, "since the force for gravity is smaller than the pressure field created. We've included a hextech amplifier to increase these pressures and with this we can hold even heavier objects. Unfortunately, including the amplifier has also increased the sound levels so we're currently trying to fix that."

"Yeah," Teemo winced, "that was no fun. Most sonic levitation devices are set in the ultrasonic range cause it's out of the human hearing range. But not yordles' range. Unfortunately, we didn't even realise the problem until it was too late."

"So we've been trying to include a nullification barrier," the brown-furred yordling took over once more.

"But it doesn't seem to be working," Rumble finished disgruntled. "And we can't work out why."

Charlie gave the device a once over with a critical eye, before a small smirk slid on his face. "I'm no scientist so this definitely isn't my area of expertise, but isn't the nullifier plugged in upside down?"

The three boys glanced at the device in question with surprise, before Ziggs reversed it.

Sure enough, this time when Rumble switched it on, the expected blue glow of the barrier appeared, humming contentedly. No other sound escaped, not even when Teemo carefully inserted the ping pong balls and marbles they had on hand.

A sigh of relief went through the group, before the hi-fiving began all round.

"Thanks Mr. Chevalier."

"You're welcome," the white-furred adult smiled as he got to his feet. "I think I'll go check on Tristy. After all, Pearl gets back soon and I'd rather she didn't have something else to worry about."

The trio nodded fervently. "Hope you have better luck than us."

Exhausted from all their hard work, and happy with their progress, the boys decided to call it a day, carefully packing up their project.

It was just as they'd stored the last of it in their bags that Tristana resurfaced.

"Don't laugh."

Three pairs of eyes rose at the sound of her voice before three jaws dropped at the sight of the yordling at the bottom of the stairs.

The girl had soft blue skin and shining white hair pulled back into a French bun. A light layer of makeup softened her features, the aqua eyeshadow and dark liner popping out the blue-green of her eyes while the pink lipstick matched perfectly with her outfit. The dress itself fit snuggly to the girl, the beaded top and the soft colour giving the yordle a gentle, innocent air. In short, she was breathtaking; the perfect picture of a young, demure, high-society lady. Or she would be, if it wasn't for the scalding glare on her face; scowl strong enough to disintegrate the first person to cross the fiery circle of fury radiating from her figure. Her narrow eyes pierced her friends, daring them to say one word.

So they didn't. Instead silence reigned; the quiet sound of breathing the only audible noise and an atmosphere so thick it could be cut with a blunt knife.

The stare down continued, never wavering, as the girl glared down her wide-eyed friends. Then, almost in slow-motion, two brown-furry hands came up. Things sped up again as a loud click and a flash of light filled the room, breaking the standoff.

"Got it!" Ziggs crowed, waving the camera in the air. He and Teemo hi-fived, before they turned and bolted laughing out the front door.

Tristana's shock only lasted for a second before she was after them, but it was enough of a head start. By the time she had made it to the front doors the other two were barely in sight.

"You two get back here so I can kick your butts!" She shouted, fuming at the entrance. She tried to chase after them, only to almost trip on her heels. "Argh! I hate these shoes!"

Rumble was still standing near the stairs, slowly coming out of the stalled state he'd been in. As his brain began to function again, he turned to the irate girl at the door, carefully approaching her.

"Hey Trist," he called softly causing narrow turquoise eyes to centre in on him.

He raised his hands in defence before one hand subconsciously found the back of his neck and he nervously scuffed the floor.

"Look," he stuttered. "I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear right now, but I really do think you look nice. I mean, we think you look fine normally and I don't really get why you need to dress up when you look nice anyway. Well, I guess because it's a formal event but still. Anyway yeah, you look different nice and it's still you no matter what you wear so it really shouldn't matter but-"

Laughter broke off his rambling, causing the boy to turn to the smiling yordle. "I get it Rumble. And thanks, that really does make me feel better. I'm lucky to have a friend like you." She sighed, letting some of the tension bleed out of her. "I guess I can put up with the look for one night. That picture however, is another matter." She turned her pleading eyes onto Rumble. "I don't suppose you could help me get it back?"

The blue boy adjusted his bag straps, ensuring everything was secure as he shrugged. "It doesn't matter anyway."

The girl put her hands on her hips, eyebrow raised as she asked, "Oh? And why's that?"

He shot her a smirk. "Because I set the camera up to automatically send the picture to our web accounts when it was taken."

He ducked the outraged swipe before taking off after his friends.

As his laughter grew fainter the furious yordling shrieked after him. "You three are so dead tomorrow! D-E-A-D: dead! You hear me!"

* * *

 **Haha, I loved writing this chapter :D. Ziggs was a blast to write! As is angry Tristana :P.**

 **Fun Fact: The last name Chevalier was derived from the term knight. I figured that fit Tristana.**

 **Skullion123: Lol, of course :). And thank you :D!**


	6. A Night to Remember

**Author's note: Sorry about how short the chapter is. The next one should be longer.**

* * *

 _Ok,_ Tristana admitted to herself as she gazed around the city hall in awe, _maybe this isn't so bad._

The main political centre of Bandle City was an impressive building, with large sweeping timber ceilings painted over with many of the rare creatures and plants of the Kumungu Jungles, long open windows overlooking the harbour night sky and a huge assembly room fit for all sizes and species. But with the added effect of her mother's handiwork, the room had become breathtaking. Bright chandeliers hung from the ceiling, gold trimmed tablecloths covered the tables spaced evenly around the room and bright sets of yellow and red flowers decorated several of the surfaces; all the while in the background, the lilting, uplifting music of the Yordle Mothership band played and human and yordle waiters bustled around amongst the guests. But it was the atmosphere that really made the night.

Sure, it was still stuffy and uptight, the speeches were too long and boring, and several of the guests were pompous jerks. But there were so many interesting guests too. There were ambassadors and representatives from every city-state present, as well as various nobility, summoners and league champions. The diversity was incredible, from the Freljord giants of the north to the magical and enlightened residents from Ionia to the mechanical oddities of Zaun. For a young yordle who had never been outside her hometown in her life, let alone in the presence of so many inspiring legends whom she'd only ever heard about, it was an exciting and overwhelming experience.

But despite the occasion's numerous celebrities, Tristana had not taken the opportunity to talk to any of them; instead she had had been content to spend the past two hours simply soaking in the atmosphere. In part, this was because the normally confident and fearless yordling was too intimidated to start up a conversation with the daunting and renowned guests; but for the most part the twelve-year-old had been on the look out all night.

She may be furious with them at the moment, but Tristana was far from heartless and upon hearing of Teemo's plight she'd instantly promised to look out for his brother's old friend (though it also helped that the boy had asked her for the favour before the whole picture fiasco). Indeed, they were all curious about the yordle's sudden disappearance and then sudden reappearance as the new Demacian Ambassador. But, despite how hard she looked, Tristana could find no trace of the older, blue-skinned girl.

With a sigh, the twelve-year-old scanned the room once more before ducking out of sight behind a large moustached, Freljordian warrior. Poppy wasn't the only one she was on the lookout for; she'd also been purposefully dodging Litani (she, thankfully, hadn't seen Klive at all) all night. Contrary to what it may seem, it wasn't out of fear of the confrontation that she was avoiding the family, but rather because the young, yordle girl didn't think she would be able to control her actions if she got close enough to pale skinned brat. And she highly doubted that her parents would be pleased if she punched the mayor's niece in the face. After all, she was supposed to be on her best behaviour for her mother's 'special night'. So the blue girl had kept her distance. Thankfully, the dark haired girl had been keeping her distance too – though Tristana liked to think it was because she was scared of getting her nose broken.

Needing a distraction to stop herself from doing something stupid, Tristana scanned the other side of the room. Despite their short stature compared to the majority of the guests, the blue girl easily picked out her parents by the centre windows where they were avidly conversing with the new Piltover sheriff. Despite the obviously involved conversation, Tristana did notice that the pair would occasionally turn quickly from the young woman in purple to check on her current position. However, that was the only sign of parental protectiveness they showed. The girl knew that with the near-constant vigilance they'd kept up, they had almost certainly noticed her strange behaviour and avoidance pattern; but surprisingly, that hadn't triggered her mother's controlling instincts. She did not know what her father had told the high-strung woman, but she was grateful that the two were willing to give her some breathing room and let her do her own thing tonight – or at least for the moment.

Glancing around the Freljordian's shield towards where Litani had been, Tristana let out a relieved sigh as the older girl disappeared back into the throng of people, deciding to make a break for the buffet table. She swiftly turned in that direction, only to rapidly come to a stop as she collided with something solid. The yordling took a stumbling step back, trying to regain her balance, but the unsteady nature of her uncomfortable shoes only made her predicament worse. Windmilling her arms in a vain attempt to not fall flat on her butt, the young yordle was surprised when a pair of hands shot out to steady her.

"Woah there kiddo."

"I'm so sorry," the blue girl apologised to the person she'd accidently run into as she regained her balance back on her precarious shoes. "I didn't mean-" as she looked up at the figure before her however she stopped short; mouth gaping open in shock.

The yordle woman standing before her had golden-orange skin and a tight-fitting black dress that went perfectly with her iconic mass of fiery, red curls piled stylishly on the top of her head.

"Oh my gosh!" an excited grin threatened to split the girl's face. "You're Artemis Dubear! The best Megling Commando in the force. Great-granddaughter of Megling herself! You come from a huge line of commandos and they say that you're the best cannon-wielder that's ever lived. Not to mention your leadership skills: your direction during the 20BLE raids is legendary. I can't believe I'm meeting you in person! You're my hero. When I grow up, I want to be a Megling just like you and your family."

The orange yordle gave her an amused look as she spoke, "Well, it looks like I don't need to introduce myself, since you already seem to know all about me. But I would definitely be curious to learn your name, if you wouldn't mind."

"Oh right," the twelve-year-old sent her a sheepish grin. "I'm Tristana Chevalier."

"Chevalier? Like Pearl Chevalier: the senator who organised this whole shebang?"

Tristana felt her ears flick in annoyance, "Yeah, she's my mother."

The redhead sent her a look of mixed sympathy and humour, "Judging by your expression, I take it you're not thrilled that she dragged you along tonight huh."

The blue girl deflated. "Is it that obvious?"

"Just to me," Artemis winked. "Though that's probably because I used to hate coming to these sort of events when I was younger too."

"Really?" Aqua eyes met hers in surprised interest. "You hated them too? But you don't seem like it."

"Oh trust me, it's true," the golden yordle grimaced. "I hated them when I was younger. Didn't see the point of all the prim and proper niceties I was supposed to endure. After all, I wanted to be a soldier, not a show pony."

"I know that feeling," Tristana commented dryly, causing the older woman to laugh.

"I'm sure you do." Turning back to the girl more seriously, the Megling continued. "But as I'm sure you've found out, it's not something you have much control over. Being a part of the Megling family and also being one of the best commandos out there, I learned pretty early on that I was destined to endure the spotlight anyway. And I hated it. I hated it with a passion. At least until my mum gave me some good advice. She told me not to think of it as an obligation, but as a challenge. After all, you never know when you might be called into action. To be an exceptional warrior you're required to be prepared for any situation, no matter where you are, or what you're wearing. So I challenged myself. Every time I was forced to go to a function, I would practise perfecting my ability to move and fight in the ridiculous outfits, until it no longer became a burden that I dreaded, but an opportunity to look forward to."

"So you're saying, you can kick butt wearing that?" Tristana asked incredulously, taking in the slinky dress and high stilettos.

The redhead winked again, "With ease."

"So cool!"

The woman gave out a hearty laugh, her smile growing at this yordling who, more and more, was reminding her of herself when she was younger.

"Now, I'm really enjoying talking to you Tristana but I'm starving. So why don't we head over to the buffet table so I can grab something to eat and you can tell me why you're hiding from the girl in purple over there."

The blue girl's face lit up as they started walking towards the spread before she corrected her idol. "I'm not hiding from her. I'm trying to resist punching her in the face."

"Now I'm even more curious."

* * *

Pearl cast a worried look towards their daughter once more, noting the fiery yordle and tall warrior she had been avidly talking too for the past hour were still there.

"Leave her be," Charlie whispered reassuringly to her.

"But they're not exactly the most refined guests are they. What if they give her the wrong idea about being a soldier?" the blue woman couldn't help but worry.

The white yordle gently lead his wife over to the centre of the room as he continued. "Tristana has a good head, and I'm sure that none of the guests she's met tonight are going to encourage her to blindly jump into battle. Just trust her. She been on her best behaviour all day and she's enjoying herself tonight. So why don't you relax and do the same. Everything turned out perfectly. But I know that a dance with you would definitely make my night all the more perfect." Green eyes met hers as the male gave her a small bow, hand outstretched. "So may I have this dance?"

Pearl sent her husband a dry look, before the smile she had been holding back broke through and she took his hand. "Sometimes I forget how much of a smooth talker you can be."

He winked as his hand came up around her waist. "Someone has to keep the peace in our family."

* * *

 **Well, only one chapter left in this arc :(. Then we move onto the next one :) yay! Sorry again for the short chapter. Hope you liked it :D.**


	7. Tick, tick, boom!

**Author's note: I know it's a week late, but uni has been hectic. I had a 40% assignment due in on Friday and it ate up my entire week. So sorry about that.** **Anyway, enjoy an extra long chapter :).**

* * *

 _Wow,_ Ziggs thought, _the science fair is packed._

The brown-furred yordle glanced about the busy hall, eyes eagerly drinking in the vast array of projects and yordles scattered about the room. He wasn't able to stray far from their booth however, so after twisting back and forth on the spot to gain as much of a visual as he could of the surrounding projects, he turned back to where Rumble and Teemo were putting the finishing touches on their own presentation.

Looking at the colourful slides tacked up out the walls surrounding their small metallic levitator, the eleven-year-old felt a bubble of pride welling up inside him. To think, they almost hadn't managed to piece their project back together in time. Staring at the display now, it hardly seemed real and he knew – without a hint of bias – that it would take something seriously spectacular to beat them now.

"Earth to Ziggs," Rumble sent his spaced out friend a dry look. "Want to help us out here?"

The brown yordling sent him sheepish grin, "Woops, right ok."

As the three started pinning the last poster in place, Teemo spoke up, "I wonder where Tristana is. The shows about to start."

The other two boys didn't answer. They still had yet to spot their blue-skinned friend, despite the anxious, near-constant vigilance the trio had maintained. Partially this was due to how late it had gotten, but for the most part it was due to their apprehension over the girl's potential actions once she did arrive. Their elation at obtaining the picture of their tomboy friend in a dress the other day was slowly churning into nervous unease as time drew on. After all, the three boys knew how very real her threat of her kicking their butts was.

Which was why, when the blue yordling's messy, white ponytail finally came into view, Ziggs and Rumble yelped in fear and immediately dove behind Teemo's broad form.

"Gee thanks guys," Teemo shot at them sarcastically, before sending the approaching girl his brightest grin. "Hi Trist. How was the party?"

Tristana sent the three of them a withering look before answering, "Lucky for you, I actually had a really good time last night. So I am feeling gracious enough to let your traitorous actions yesterday slide."

The boys let out a collective breath as Rumble and Ziggs slid out from behind their meat-shield.

Eyeing the girl's unreadable expression, Ziggs' curiosity got the better of him and he asked, "So what happened to make you in such a good mood? Did you punch Litani in the face?"

"Better," the blue girl grinned. "I got to meet Artemis Dubear."

"No way!" That impressed her friends. "What's she like? Was she as awesome as her interviews make her out to be?"

"She's even cooler in person," Tristana told them. "We talked practically the entire night. I got to hear all about all her expeditions and training and she introduced me to so many interesting people. And I told her about you guys and all the stuff we'd gotten up to – which she found hilarious. But the best thing was when she told me that I reminded her of herself when she was younger! And that she thought I'd make a really good Megling if I continued to work hard. _And,_ she told me that if I ever wanted some help to come visit her! How cool is that!"

The huge grin the girl had been fighting back all morning finally broke through as her friends gave her amazed hugs and hi-fives.

"Awesome!" Ziggs grin grew just as big as his friend's as he gave her an excited hi-five.

Trying not to let the elation go to her head too much, Tristana turned her focus to their current situation. "So, how's the project going?"

"It's been going great," Rumble told her. "We got it all working yesterday. So this morning we've just been doing some final tweaking. Wanna see?"

"Duh."

Fiddling with the switches, the cobalt yordling got the machine up and running, a low humming sound the only indication of the power behind the nullifying field.

With great care, Teemo placed a single marble into the levitation field. As it continued to float soundly there, Tristana felt her grin grow. "Cool."

Before she could say anything else however, a conceited voice spoke up behind them. "Well what do you know: you four turned up with a working project after all."

Grins turning sour, the quartet turned as one to face the smug teen; Ziggs placing a hand on Tristana's shoulder as Teemo subtly positioned himself behind Rumble, ready to grab the smaller boy should he try to lunge for Klive. They all knew now was not the time for a fist fight. They'd worked way too hard to get their project here already; they didn't need to get suspended because the older yordle was goading them. Not that the senior was going to make it easy for them.

Feigning concerned curiosity the teenager continued, "I heard you were having some problems with it." The innocent words were betrayed by the pug-yordle's smirk as his eyes found Rumble.

The cobalt yordle's grip on the table was iron-tight, knuckles turning white from the pressure as he refused to meet the older boy's eyes.

"What? Nothing to say? That doesn't seem like your usual big-mouthed self. Is it possible that you've finally learned your place at the bottom of the social pecking order and are showing me the respect I deserve?"

His beady eyes glinted with malice and Ziggs' grip on Tristana's arm tightened as she tried to storm forward; all four kits noticing the increased shaking of the smaller boy as he tried to gain control over his repressed emotions. But he still refused to rise to the bait.

Before Klive could mock the younger yordle any further, Teemo stepped forward, shielding his friend from sight. "Problems occur all the time in challenging situations. But, as you can see, that didn't stop us from completing our science project. Now, the judges have started coming around, so I'd suggest you get back to your own project." The frosty words were polite but the message was clear: _get lost._

Klive conceded with a smirk: he knew he'd won this round. "Fair enough. Guess I'll see you on the stage twerps."

After the teen was out of earshot, Tristana let out an explosive breath. "That jerk! Wish I could give him a piece of my mind." She rounded on Ziggs, "Why'd you stop me? I could have wiped that smug grin off his face. And why didn't you stand up for yourself Rumble?" The furious girl's gaze landed on her small friend as the blue boy relaxed his death grip on the table.

"I didn't want to start a fight here," he mumbled in a small voice, before sending her a small smile. "Besides, we don't need to get revenge now anyway."

Catching the conspiratorial grins the three boys were sharing, Tristana leaned closer, "Ok spill: what did you do?"

"Well actually," Teemo told her, "Rumble and I didn't do anything."

The blue girl shot him a disbelieving look.

"We really didn't," the pale yordle told her honestly. "But Ziggs on the other hand…"

Tristana's grin grew as she worked out where they were going with this.

"He graciously decided to help Klive and his friends out when they weren't looking," Rumble finished.

The yordle in question's grin grew so big it practically split his face in half. "What? I was trying to help. And if it accidently, oh I don't know, spontaneously combusts when they start it up, that's not my fault is it?"

Tristana burst into laughter. "Your deviousness amazes me sometimes."

* * *

As the next couple of hours passed, the four friends spent their time waiting for the adjudicators by enjoying the vast array of wonders contained within the science fair. Taking turns to watch their project, the quartet took the opportunity to explore the packed hall, excitedly taking in the different science experiments and relentlessly questioning the interesting groups about their work. All the while their families sporadically checked in on them as they too contentedly wandered about the large fair. As all four of the yordling's entire family had turned up to the event (including all eight of Ziggs' siblings), there was also almost always someone nearby to keep the yordle stuck at the booth entertained.

As their time slot drew closer, the four yordlings reconverged at their project, Ziggs hurrying back just before the judges made it to their station. Hardly intimidated by the three imposing figures, the four excited yordlings launched flawlessly into their presentation. Calmly, they took turns explaining the concept of their project, eagerly demonstrating their device and easily answering all the curious questions the adults had. Interest peaked, the adjudicators continued to question the four, well past their 10-minute time slot.

Finally, the female judge motioned to her companions and the three of them left with an impressed nod.

As soon as the adults were out of sight, a round of hi-fives started amongst the four smug friends.

"Totally nailed it," Teemo smiled, landing a double hi-five with Rumble.

"Yeah," Ziggs crowed as he and Tristana performed their complex victory handshake. "There's no way we're not going to win now!"

* * *

Despite the victory the four yordle kids felt, the fair continued peacefully as the judges move on. Sitting contently at their table, the quartet chatted animatedly about their favourite science projects (other than their own of course) as they munched on the corn-dogs and Honeywater cupcakes their parents had bought them.

Tristana had just grabbed the last chocolate frosted cupcake when a large explosions sounded, shaking the room around them. Suppressing their grins, the four yordlings peered around the parapet to observe the commotion.

As expected, Klive and his two friends stood coughing next to a large cloud of black smoke, all three covered from head to toe in soot – as were the three disgruntled judges before them. And beside the six blackened yordles stood their vice principal, Miss Pringer, who was currently giving the three older boys a thorough chewing out. "I know the combustion rules are new, but you are _not_ exempt from them. Indeed, I am appalled: as seniors of our school you especially are required to uphold the standard for our younger students. Therefore, as well as being disqualified from the competition you will also have two weeks of detention."

"But we-" Klive started.

"No buts! If you think your status of grade grants you special privileges you are sorely mis-"

"Excuse me, Miss Pringer," Mr Ranger politely stopped the older yordle with a serious expression, "but I believe there is a bigger issue to be addressed here."

The quartet exchanged curious looks as the older teacher pulled a small component out of the fizzled experiment remains.

"Did you put that in there?" Tristana asked Ziggs.

The hazel kit shook his head. "No. I just crossed some wires."

"Then that means…" Teemo trailed off as Mr Ranger turned to the seniors.

"This dual-modulator is one of the most impressive pieces I've ever marked. I would recognise it anywhere. However, as I recall, it was Rumble Welker's invention. Which leaves me with one very, big question: how did it end up in your project?"

"Ah?" As the three older kids fumbled for an answer, Rumble narrowed his eyes in a furious scowl.

"That sneaky, two-faced weasel! Not only did he destroy my workshop, he actually _stole_ one of my inventions too! I was wondering when I couldn't find it, but I thought it was simply amongst the rest of the rubble I haven't cleaned out yet."

"Guess it makes sense why Klive destroyed your workshop now," Teemo added grimly. "He needed that part just as much as he wanted to knock us back a few pegs."

"Well you see," Klive's cat-like friend tried to explain, "Rumble, he-"

"He what? Sabotaged your project? Gave you the part?" Mr Ranger wasn't buying it. "Nice try, but that piece was too well ingrained in your project to be put there by accident. And I know your history well enough to know he wouldn't have just given it to you."

He paused to let that sink in, before turning back to the deputy principal. "Miss Pringer, I believe there was recently a police inquiry into the destruction of a student's property?"

"Yes," the older woman nodded. "The charges included breaking and entering, vandalism and destruction of property of one Chuck Welker and his son Rumble Welker. But there was no evidence of a culprit and thus there was nothing we could do about the situation."

The black-furred male nodded before carefully placing the damaged modulator in the vice principal's hands. "I believe there is your proof."

Face drawing into a serious scowl, the blonde turned back to the seniors. "These are some severe allegations. If proven true, you three will be facing several serious consequences, including expulsion."

"But that's not-" Klive's jaw dropped as he struggled to take in the degrading situation before his eyes landed on the four satisfied faces watching the debacle unfurl from across the room. "You!" he sneered, starting towards the quartet like a raging bull. "You four had something to do with this. I just know it!"

"Uh oh!" Ziggs frantically commented. "Angry Klive headed straight for us."

The four yordlings ducked back around the parapet before stopping in front of their project; all of them unwilling to see it destroyed a second time.

They needn't have bothered however, because as soon as Klive turned the corner he came to a grinding halt. Between the four yordlings and the raging senior stood all sixteen of the quartet's family members.

Charlie walked calmly past Jos and Cam at the very front of the pack (both yordlings eager and ready for a confrontation) to stand before the wide eyed sixteen-year-old. "I believe that it would be best if you rethought your plan to attack _our_ children in the middle of a crowded hall. Don't you?"

Sullenly, and with one last sneer at the quartet, Klive allowed himself to be marched outside with his friends by the vice principal and several members of security.

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer yordle," Rumble sarcastically commented, more than satisfied with their revenge on the older yordle. His friends nodded their agreement before the four of them were swamped by concerned family.

"That was so awesome!" Trist grinned at her dad, from the middle of her anxious parents, causing the white-furred yordle to smile.

Once everyone was reassured that the four yordlings were alright, everything settled back down and the science fair continued as if the major confrontation had not occurred.

* * *

Not long after, the event that they had all been waiting for finally commenced. Huddling amongst the crowd with their families, the four yordles exchanged excited grins as the announcer walked on stage, officially starting the award ceremony.

"Well this has been an interesting fair, hasn't it?" the tall yordle joked. "And by far, the projects produced this year have been amongst the most creative and impressive we have ever seen. If it was up to me, I would make you all winners. But in the end of course, we had to narrow it down to three, exceptional projects. But first: the honourable mentions!"

The four yordlings barely payed any attention to the honourable mentions, the excitement and anticipation within them growing with each group of yordles scurrying onto the stage for the green ribbons.

"Let's give a hand to our honourable mentions!"

Nervous hands found each other's and they shared excited grins as the ceremony announcer moved onto the top three winners.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for," the tawny yordle began. "In third place, with their unique and innovative Bantley engine prototype is Lila, Rux and Xoran Baraganath!" Three fluffy, white and brown yordlings eagerly ran onto the stage, shaking the judges' hands as they were handed their third place medals.

The quartet politely clapped, their elation and nervousness rising. Every contestant announced brought them closer and closer to the first place prize. But at the same time, it also brought them closer and closer to being disappointed. _After all_ , a small part of them whispered, _what if they weren't good enough and they ended up with nothing?_ Their project was impressive but they were still the youngest grade to participate over several different schools. Despite their certainty earlier, the reality that they still had to compete with a vast array of older and more talented students was slowly sinking in.

"In second place," the announcer continued, causing their doubt to be pushed aside in favour for the excitement setting their heart thrumming against their ribcages, "with a never seen before and quite an impressive sonic levitation device is Tristana Chevalier, Teemo Swiftfoot, Rumble Welker and Ziggs Van Roon!"

As they made their way up to the stage, the four yordles were filled with a mix of elation and disappointment. True, it was still really impressive that the four of them had managed to snag second place in their very first science fair, but there was still a small part of the kids that were upset at not coming first after all the effort they had put in. Still, upon shaking the three official's hands and looking out over the sea of faces with their second place medals, it was easy to let the disappointment go in favour of the overwhelming awe and triumph they felt in this very moment.

Spotting his family's over the top and over eager reaction, Ziggs gave them a huge grin and a wave before the four took their place beside the third place winners.

"And finally, in first place, with a classic and aesthetic baking soda volcano is Tommy Turner!"

The quartet politely clapped as the excited yordle ran onto the stage to claim the large trophy from Captain Whiskerbeard.

Leaving the tubby winner on stage with the famous Captain, the second and third places filed off stage where they were all at once swamped by their enthusiastic families. The fervour surrounding the four was enough to make them grin with pride at their achievement. But as the crowds gradually dispersed, the quartet found themselves falling behind their families.

"I can't believe we were beaten by a _soda volcano_ , of all things," Tristana muttered softly.

"At least it wasn't a potato battery," Ziggs joked.

"And," Teemo added, "we still came second. That's pretty good."

"I know," the girl sighed. "But it still kinda sucks."

The other three nodded glumly in agreement.

"Well, if it was up to me, I definitely would have given you first place."

Startled by the nearby voice, the yordlings spun around to come face to face with the white-bearded yordle standing behind them.

With a chuckle, he winked at their surprised faces. "Howdy."

"No way," as usual Tristana found her voice first. "You're Whiskerbeard. What're you doing here?"

"Well, I was asked to present the winning trophy. I thought that was pretty obvious," the elder male joked.

"We gathered that much," Teemo explained. "But why are you talking to us. Aren't you supposed to be taking pictures with the winner?"

"In a little bit," Whiskerbeard waved that off. "Right now I wanted to talk to you four. That sonic levitator was very impressive. It was an ingenious merging of techmaturgy and I was very sad to not see it win." The four yordlings puffed up at the praise. "Particularly as I know just how talented you must be to have pulled a device like that off. However," here the yordle's tone turned serious, "I also happened to notice that your expertise with technology is not the only talent you four possess."

Smirking at their guilty faces, the old soldier continued, "Thought no one would notice did you? Well don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone about your escapades. Though I will say this: you four have a lot of potential. Just make sure you use your talents for the _right_ reasons." With one final wink he disappeared into the crowd, leaving the four yordlings stunned from the encounter.

Finally, Rumble put into words what they were all thinking. "Best. Day. Ever!"

* * *

 **And there we have the end of this arc. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.**

 **Shout out to Random-P4 for the Bantley engine inspiration for the third place winners :).**

 **Also, has anyone else heard about the new board game Riot has announced. It's called Mechs vs Minions and I've been obsessing over it all week. It looks fantastic and its gotten really good reviews. Plus it has yordles! :D. So keen for when it comes out. You should check it out if you haven't heard about it yet.**

 **Anyway, thank you all so much for your support, I will see you all in about 4 weeks with the new story.**


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